Vista will treat e-cigs just like cigarettes

VISTA  Electronic cigarettes will soon be banned in Vista restaurants and other public places where smoking is already prohibited.

The Vista City Council by a 4-1 vote Tuesday approved a proposal to treat the smokeless devices like regular cigarettes. City Councilwoman Amanda Rigby voted against the measure, but did not state a reason.

E-cigarettes — typically made of plastic or metal — allow users to inhale a nicotine vapor rather than tobacco fumes, eliminating the problem of secondhand smoke.

Supporters say the smokeless devices are a cleaner alternative to conventional cigarettes and can be useful to people who are trying to stop smoking. But health advocates warn that little is known about their long-term health effects.

Mayor Judy Ritter supported the change in part from a practical standpoint, saying that it’s often hard to distinguish e-cigarettes from regular cigarettes, making it difficult for law enforcement officers to enforce the city’s smoking rules.

Regarding potential health concerns, Ritter noted that the devices “... do have nicotine.”

“If they are later proved to be safe, this can always come back to us,” she added.

Representatives of the North Coastal Prevention Coalition and the Vista Community Clinic’s Tobacco Control program also spoke in support of the change.

“I think Vista children would be well-served by keeping e-cigarettes out of ... places where smoking is currently prohibited and shielded from the behavior of smoking,” said Erica Leary, a program manager with the North Coastal Prevention Coalition.

Vista appears to be the first city in San Diego County to specifically ban e-cigarettes in places where regular cigarettes are not allowed, but other local jurisdictions may follow.

Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer, said she is also worried about the proliferation of e-cigarettes and the lack of information about their potential health effects. County staff is working on policy recommendations for the Board of Supervisors to consider, she said.

Several cities in the county have recently adopted tougher anti-smoking laws that prohibit smoking in outdoor dining areas and other public places.

Although none of those cities specifically mention e-cigarettes, some of them — such as El Cajon, Del Mar and Solana Beach — include language that could be interpreted to prohibit the devices, Wooten said.

For example, the Del Mar ordinance defines smoking as a lighted cigarette “of any kind.”

Vista previously stopped short of adopting tougher stricter smoking laws, such as banning smoking in outdoor dining areas and other public places. Councilman Cody Campbell proposed such a ban in June, but it was voted down 3-2.

On Tuesday, Campbell requested that the council again take up his proposal but his effort failed when no other council member supported his motion to reconsider.

In California, it’s illegal to sell e-cigarettes to people under the age of 18. The Food and Drug Administration is expected weigh in soon with federal regulations, including age restrictions and rules on how the devices can be marketed. A state bill that would bar the use of e-cigarettes in public places was tabled this summer by its author, Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-Fremont.

People often use e-cigarettes to quit smoking because they deliver the nicotine without the many harmful chemicals, tar and tobacco smell of regular cigarettes.